French far-right leader Marine Le Pen lost her appeal over her conviction for misusing public funds on Tuesday at the Paris Court of Appeal. However, she will still technically be allowed to run for office – even if she may choose not to.
Le Pen has been disqualified from standing for election for 45 months but, 30 of these were suspended, meaning she could, in theory, stand as a candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
However, as part of the ruling, the Paris Court of Appeal has also ordered her to wear an electronic tag for one year.
Importantly, the far-right leader had made her candidacy conditional on not being ordered to wear an electronic tag, meaning she will not run.
She had argued that the electronic tag would prevent her from campaigning properly, as she would have to seek authorisation every time she held a campaign rally, the BBC reports on its live blog.
After the judgement, Le Pen was left stone faced, but there was initial confusion inside the court room over the ruling and what it meant for the presidential run, according to the British public broadcaster.
The judge confirmed the French politician would be ordered to pay a €100,000 fine. She was also sentenced to three years of imprisonment, with two suspended and one year with a electronic bracelet.
Judge Michèle Agi said the offences took place over 11 years across three parliamentary terms, despite warnings from the European Parliament.
They involved the misappropriation of €2.8m which had been intended for hiring staff. European funds constitute public funds, the judge says, according to BBC.
These actions discredited European institutions, said the judge. She added they were also serious because they created an unequal playing field with other political parties.
After her trial in 2025, the far-right leader was given a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended and the remaining two to be served with a tag.
She was also originally handed a five-year ban from running for public office, which has been reduced today to 15 months.
She is due to speak on TF1’s 20:00 news programme on Tuesday evening.
